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    NORTH AMERICAN Newsline                                            FEBRUARY 13, 2026       |  The Indian Eye 16

                  Bronx families overcome barriers with

              support from community health workers

                    NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx team improves lives of immigrant

                                              children struggling with developmental delays

            OUR BUREAU                                                                                            Bronx  Hospital  connected  more
                                                                                                                  than  460  at-risk  children  to  critical
            Bronx, NY
                                                                                                                  services—proof  that  determination,
                  wo Bronx families—one from                                                                      partnership,  and  cultural  under-
                  Ecuador and one from Togo—                                                                      standing  might  turn  isolation  into
            Tfound life-changing support for                                                                      opportunity.
            their young children with speech and                                                                     “CHWs  serve  as  trusted  advo-
            developmental delays, thanks to the                                                                   cates and cultural liaisons,” said Hil-
            persistence of NYC Health + Hospi-                                                                    da Reyes (center), CHW Supervisor.
            tals/North Central Bronx Community                                                                        NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi
            Health  Workers  (CHWs)  Mariam                                                                       is a 457-bed teaching hospital affiliat-
            Diakite and Desiree Martinez.                                                                         ed with the Albert Einstein College
                Four-year-old  Mateo  arrived                                                                     of Medicine. The facility has earned
            from  Ecuador,  unable  to  speak,  re-                                                               numerous Center of Excellence des-
            lying  only  on  gestures.  Diakite  and                                                              ignations, accreditation, and recogni-
            Martinez  spent  seven  months  nav-                                                                  tion  for  its  renowned  Level  1  Trau-
            igating  obstacles  until  he  began  re-                                                             ma  Center,  Burn  Center,  Surgical
            ceiving  speech  and  occupational                                                                    Intensive Care Unit, regional Stroke
            therapy twice a week.                                                                                 Center, Snakebite Treatment Center,
               “We  worked  to  ensure  the  par-       Community Health Workers Desiree Martinez and Mariam Diakite  Breast Health Center, Bariatric Sur-
            ents  felt  comfortable  sharing  their                                                               gery Center, and Cancer Service. The
            concerns in their own language,” said                                                                 facility  also  offers  the  region’s  only
            Diakite. Today, Mateo is happy, ver-                                                                  multi-person  hyperbaric  chamber,
            bal,  and  thriving  in  preschool.  His                                                              allowing up to nine patients to dive
            mother  showed  appreciation:  “My                                                                    together at one time.
            child can now communicate and play                                                                       Jacobi’s  Ambulatory  Care  Pavil-
            with others. Without CHW support,                                                                     ion is a stunning complement to its
            this would not have been possible.”                                                                   inpatient  acute  care,  allowing  staff
                Similarly,  Koffi,  a  five-year-old                                                              to provide patients with high-quality
            boy  from  Togo,  could  not  hold  a                                                                 service in a modern, state-of-the-art
            spoon  or  pencil  and  struggled  to                                                                 environ
            speak  after  his  family  entered  the                                                                 About NYC Health + Hospitals/
            shelter system.                                                                                              North Central Bronx
                Over three years, Martinez and
            Diakite  coordinated  referrals,  es-                                                                       YC Health + Hospitals/North
            corted  the  family  to  appointments,                                                                      Central  Bronx  is  a  member
            and  overcame  missed  evaluations                                                                    Nfacility of the New York City
            and language barriers. “Every obsta-                                                                  Health  +  Hospitals  system,  one  of
            cle  meant  finding  another  solution,”                                                              eleven  acute  care  facilities  within
            Martinez said.                                                                                        the  City  of  New  York.  A  215-bed
                A turning point happened when                                                                     community  hospital,  North  Central
            Diakite,  fluent  in  French,  began  ac-                                                             Bronx  Hospital  specializes  in  wom-
            companying the family to visits that           “CHWs serve as trusted advocates and cultural liaisons,”    en’s  and  children’s  services.  It  also
            finally led to consistent speech ther-              said Hilda Reyes (center), CHW Supervisor.        provides  Behavioral  Health  acute
            apy  and  special  education  support.                                                                and ambulatory care. Its busy outpa-
            Koffi now attends kindergarten and                                                                    tient department has led the way in
            after-school programs while his fami- on  Special  Education  (CPSE),  and   systems,  their  advocacy  is  transfor-  community-based  care  delivered  in
            ly lives stably in the Bronx.     the Committee on Special Education   mative.”                       a  compassionate  and  culturally-ap-
                Both families have requested an- (CSE).                             North  Central  Bronx  Hospital   propriate manner. Its Labor and De-
            onymity due to ongoing immigration   “Our community health workers   CHW  Supervisor  Hilda  Reyes  add- livery service safely brings more than
            issues.                           play a vital role connecting families   ed, “These stories show how CHWs  1,000 babies into the world each year.
                CHW  program  support  ser- to  developmental,  behavioral,  and   empower families and prevent delays   North Central Bronx is committed to
            vices  include  connecting  patients   social services,” said Dr. Elisa Karp,   in care that can change a child’s life   providing  safe,  high-quality  medical
            and sending referrals to appropriate  Attending  Physician  at  North  Cen-  forever.”                care for any and all in need. For more
            agencies, such as Early Intervention   tral Bronx Hospital. “For immigrant   In  2025  alone,  the  Pediatric   information  visit  www.nychealthand-
            (EI), the Committee for Pre-School   families learning to navigate complex   CHW  Program  at  North  Central   hospitals.org/north-central-bronx.

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